An investigation has been launched into the whereabouts of radio star Casey Kasem, who also voiced Shaggy in Scooby Doo, after his wife's lawyer said he had been taken out of America.

Kasem, 82, suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease, can no longer speak and has been in various medical facilities chosen by his wife, Jean Kasem.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel S Murphy has ordered adult protective services to find out where Kasem is being treated and report back to the court.

Mr Murphy's order came after Craig Marcus, a lawyer who appeared on Jean Kasem's behalf at Monday's hearing, said he did not know where the radio personality was but knew that he had been removed from the country.

Kasem was a huge radio star

"I have no idea where he is," Mr Marcus said.

The revelation brought stunned protests from Mr Murphy and two of Casey Kasem's daughters from a previous marriage.

"Your statements concern me even more," the judge told Mr Marcus, who declined to comment after the hearing.

Mr Marcus said in court that Jean Kasem had every right to move her husband as she saw fit.

Mr Murphy appointed a doctor to look into Kasem's care and ordered a court-appointed attorney to find out his whereabouts as soon as possible.

Kasem gained fame with his radio music countdown shows, American Top 40 and Casey's Top 40, and was the voice of Shaggy in the cartoon Scooby Doo.

In a court filing last week, Kerri Kasem's lawyers wrote that the entertainer has been repeatedly moved without warning and his children have been unable to see him.

The complaint accused Jean Kasem of elder abuse by isolating her husband from his family.